(Editor’s Note: These are just a few of wrestling brothers from throughout the Eastern Panhandle.)

HEDGESVILLE — Many athletes consider their teammates brothers. For some, that rings true in other ways as sports create a stronger bond.

For Hedgesville’s Gage Abrecht and Devin Heath, wrestling helped the stepbrothers come closer together in a way that has led to not only their success on the mat but created a bond as deep as blood.

The pair has been family for around five years now, never expecting to be as close as they are.

“The first year we were together, we were kind of stayed by ourselves. We never really talked, and we’ve slowly been more together. We have our real brothers, but me and him are closer than with my other brothers,” Devin said. “There’s not a moment you see us not together.”

“I have somebody I can fall back to, that I can talk to all the time,” Gage said.

Gage, a senior, wrestles at 182 pounds, while Devin, a junior, wrestles at 152. Because the different in weight classes, they use each other as practice partners frequently.

“It makes it fun but at the same time beneficial. He’s smaller, so he’s a little bit faster. Since I’m heavier, I’m stronger. It just works in our favor really,” Gage said. “It kind of keeps it competitive a little bit. Me being the older brother, I have to stay better than him.”

“It helps us push each other, so we actually have somebody that knows what’s going on,” Devin added. “Between going to the gym and stuff, we try to work on stuff outside of school to help benefit us towards other sports as well as wrestling.”

Both are state qualifiers and starters for the Eagles, having seen each other grow and developed over the years, but it was Gage who got the family into wrestling.

“I got him started,” Gage said, noting he joined the program his freshman year. “Just like the aggressiveness and the physicality of it.”

Then Devin decided to join when his freshman year came along the following season.

“I just saw him doing it, and coach (Bill) Whittington just said it would help out a lot with football with footwork and one-on-one with people. I just got really into it,” Devin said.

While the pair helps each other during practice, it’s the encouragement during live action that really means a lot.

“Whenever we’re in tournaments and stuff, what I really like is sometimes when you’re wrestling you can hear Coach screaming and you hear everybody else, but sometimes, I can just hear him personally screaming. It’s really motivating,” Devin said.

In his final season with the Eagles, Gage is ready to go out with a bang, hoping to place at the state tournament. Devin has been there every step of the way to make sure his brother meets his goal.

“I’m really proud (of him). I’m really trying to help him push towards his goal. He really wants to place at states, which I really do think he can do this year,” Devin said. “Seeing how hard he pushes in and outside of practice and outside of school, I really think he can. I’m really proud.”

And with one more year ahead of him, Devin has the chance to follow his older brother’s dream and be a state placewinner as well.

“He’s made a lot of progress since he’s started, and I’m very proud of him. I feel like if he sticks to it next year, also, he’ll do really, really well,” Gage said.

THE BRADBURYS

The last name Bradbury has a solidified spot in Washington history.

Zane Bradbury was not only one of the top tacklers to come out of the Patriots football program, but he finished as state runner-up at the Class AAA state wrestling tournament in 2014.

Now, the Bradbury name continues to do big things at Washington with Jace as a junior and Kade as freshman.

“We actually have to more or less uphold a legacy or do better than what our brother did, hopefully winning states,” Jace said.

This was supposed to be a big year for the brothers with Jace having placed in the state meet during both his previous seasons and Kade coming off a strong run in the Charles Town Middle program. However, a football injury is keeping Jace off the mat this season.

Nevertheless, the pair remains a strong entity in the wrestling room as Kade makes a name for himself.

“Last time we actually wrestled together was in Charles Town, in middle school, me being in eighth grade, him being in sixth grade. I have no idea what he thinks about any of this, but I think it’s pretty cool to have two Bradburys on a team,” Jace said.

“It is pretty cool because we’ve wrestled together for a long time now. We’ve seen each other practice and have live matches, but being on the same high school team, both varsity, to me that’s pretty exciting as well. It would’ve been cooler if he was actually wrestling,” Kade added.

Kade has already brought home a handful of championships and big finishes this season. Jace is always there to encourage him along the way.

“I’m proud. I’m certainly proud. He has a lot more to do,” Jace said.

With Jace at a higher weight class — he would be wrestling at 195 this season — and Kade giving up some weight at 106, the two rarely find themselves on the mat. Instead, Jace tries to find ways to coach however he can, much like Zane did for Jace.

“He tries to. He doesn’t really wrestle the same way as me. Him and Zane, they wrestled the same way pretty much, but I’m completely different being at such a lower weight. They were upper bodies,” Kade said. “Zane was a low-leg guy like me, but (Jace is) upper body and I’m more lower.”

The pair, while different in weight, are extremely competitive with each other, using that to push each to be better on the mat.

“The only time I will ever mess with him is if he’s doing something wrong or if I feel like it,” Jace joked. “It can be funny and really hard at the same time, especially when we lose at any big major tournaments. It’s either we have high expectations for each other and that gets crushed because we didn’t do as well as we thought we could do.”

“I just want to be better than him. I still am. I’m wrestling right now, and he’s not. That’s all it really is,” Kade rebutted.

He added: “Seeing him be the tackle leader at the school is impressive, all the work he puts in. This year, I got to see what he does at practice. He pushed everybody. That’s why he’s a captain for football and wrestling at this point. It was impressive.”

While wrestling is almost synonymous with the name Bradbury at this point, the two younger brothers haven’t wrestled their whole lives. Jace didn’t get on the mat until he was 10, and Kade began when he was 7.

“As soon as we moved here, about a year later (we began to wrestle). We had no clue the sport even existed,” Jace said. “Now eight years down the road, we’re going to nationals and actually competing with kids all over the state.”

“We were BMX freaks, and then we moved here and a lot changed. We didn’t do BMX anymore. We went to wrestling, football. I went to one practice (for wrestling) in Illinois at the high school there with my brother. I was confused, lost,” Kade added with a laugh.

With the end of the season drawing nearer and Jace unable to compete, it’s left up to Kade to finish the year strong for their family.

“I’m just trying to get rid of the Bradbury Curse. That’s all it is,” Kade said. “We’ll see. It’s going to be hard.”

THE RESCHES

When it comes to Martinsburg wrestling, Luke and Kurt Resch have made a name for themselves. From their skills on the mat to Luke’s Captain America headgear, the brothers have been leaders on the mat for some time now.

Luke, a senior, wrestles at 145 pounds, while Kurt, a junior, is at 152.

But as similar as they are in talent and weight, their personalities shine in much different ways on the team.

Luke, the more vocal of the two, can often be found on the side of the mat, coaching his teammates, while Kurt, the quieter brother, will often just watch and try to learn from each match.

“I’ll sit there and (yell things) every now and then, but he does a great job coaching because he knows what he’s calling out. Guys respect him when he’s calling out, and they’ll try to do it and it works for them,” Kurt said.

For Luke, this year has seen him yelling more and more from the sideline as the Bulldogs have progressed immensely as a program.

“When I stand there and coach, I do that for everybody. I like winning. The wrestling team, I really haven’t been on a team that’s like, ‘Oh that team’s here.’ It’s been more like, ‘Oh that team’s here. That’s a breeze.’ Even in other sports, I’ve never been on a good team, so this year, it’s a good team and I’m into it. I get into it more than anybody I’m pretty sure,” Luke laughed.

The pair began their wrestling journey at the virtually the same time, inspired by their dad.

“Our dad was the one who actually got us into it. He suggested it, and we were like, ‘Why not?’” Kurt said.

“(Kurt) went to practice one night, and I went the second night. I started wrestling around. The coach at the time was one of the coaches we had before. I just saw him wrestling, so I started joining in,” Luke said. “We’ve always wrestled on a trampoline or outside. My dad taught us a couple things here or there, but we didn’t actually start until we were in middle school.

“My dad, he wrestled, too, back in high school. He was really good. He did Navy tournaments and military tournaments all the time. He got invited to go to the Deaf Olympics way back when. He was always good, too, and I guess it just got passed down.”

From there, the pair grew together on the mat, always having a practice partner with them.

“Just going out there every Sunday — at the time, it was little league, so it was Sundays instead of Saturdays — it was just fun going out there and wrestling,” Luke said. “My freshman year, we got a nice little wrestling mat in our garage, and we’d wrestle in there almost every weekend. It’d be summertime and it’d be 100 degrees in there or it’d be 20 degrees in the middle of winter. Just helping each other out. It’s good to have a practice partner.”

Always being their for each other showed as the two grew as wrestlers.

“It showed. We learned from each other. He’d sit there and hit a move, and once he’d hit it repetitively, I’d learn different ways to counter it and vice versa,” Kurt said. “It’s nice to see how much by comparison our first year to now (we’ve grown). It’s a huge difference. We can excel even more then where we’re at now.”

Now, knowing each other’s moves so well, Kurt and Luke don’t practice with each other as often. Instead, their relationship in the sport has moved to just encouraging each other as much as they can.

“We have that competition every now and then. It’s there,” Kurt said.

“It’s just not what other people see it as. We don’t make it, ‘I’m better than you.’ It’s for the team. Me and him are for the same team, so it doesn’t matter,” Luke added. “I’m pretty impressed the way (Kurt’s) came along. In the beginning, he was all right. Then he got better over the years. Last year and this year, he’s really turned it around. I can’t wait to see him in his senior year.

“We just support each other, especially for the team. If it comes down to me, Jermaine (Handy) or him, it’s usually back to back to back.”

Now with both brothers wrestling well and the team on the rise, Luke and Kurt are eyeing a chance to fight for the Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference title. That meet is on Saturday.

“Individually, I feel like I do a lot better. The team has really came around, especially this year,” Luke said. “The last few years, we haven’t done so good. We’ve had guys kicked off for grades, including me. But it’s good to see the team good now. The last time we won (conference champ) was in like ‘75, so we’re trying to make that 2019. It’s going to be interesting. Just keep people off the injury list.

THE BRUNERS

Dakoda and Devin Bruner of Hedgesville are a classic case of the younger brother following in the footsteps of the older.

Dakoda, a sophomore, began his wrestling career with hopes that it would help him on the football field.

“The competitiveness and the conditioning. It helps with football,” Dakoda said. “I started, and then he followed after that.”

Dakoda’s interest in wrestling and success on the mat led to Devin wanting to give the sport a try.

“I’m not even sure if I would be wrestling if it wasn’t for my brother convincing me to try it out,” Devin said. “I stuck with it because not only did I enjoy the sport, but I’m just glad to be around my older bro and the team.”

Both brothers have earned their way to a starting spot in the Eagle lineup with Dakoda at 160 and Devin at 126. But it’s not Devin’s success on the mat that makes Dakoda proud, it’s other qualities wrestling has brought out in the younger brother.

“I think it’s helped him come out of his shell and helped him figured out stuff for himself. I’m really happy because he used to stay inside all the time,” Dakoda said. “Wrestling has brought us closer together. I hoped it would help bring us closer together when he got into it.”

And for Devin, part of that confidence stems from his older brother being there alongside him.

“Dakoda gives me a lot of encouragement whether he realizes it or not,” Devin said. “It’s really the small things he does that help me progress. Even if it’s something small, it helps me.

“Dakoda is a really good wrestler. I’m very proud, and I hope to be as good as him.”

Rarely do the two brothers grapple with each other. Instead, Dakoda works on helping Devin however he can, while Devin enjoys his time with his older brother and the new group of brothers he’s developed.

“I think my favorite part about it is some of the other wrestlers treat me like a younger brother,” Devin said.

THE NGUYENS

Kyle and Kendrick Nguyen of Washington are a pair with few words. Instead, they let their wrestling do the talking.

Kyle, in his third year in the sport, has continued to grow during his time in the Patriot program, and he’s now getting to watch his brother do the same. Kendrick is a first-year wrestler as a freshman.

“It’s cool. I like watching my brother wrestle because since this is his first year, it’s cool watching him and seeing he progresses,” Kyle said.

Kyle started being interested in the sport thanks to some friends, kicking off what is now a bonding experience for the brothers.

“My friends brought me into it. A lot of my friends wrestled at the time, and they just brought me into it and I’ve stuck with ever since,” he said.

For Kendrick, it was seeing his older brother fall in love with the sport that piqued his interest.

“Yeah, it was him,” Kendrick said with a laugh.

For both, it’s the physical activity on the mat that helps keep the pair in the wrestling room.

“I just like the work. I like how disciplined the sport is and how it makes you respect your body and respect what’s going on around you,” Kyle said.

“I just like how it keeps me in shape,” Kendrick added.

Wrestling at 170 for Kyle and 126 for Kendrick, the brothers don’t often find themselves on the mat at the same time or being practice partners. But sometimes the brotherly competition gets the best of them.